Nordic system is much better for wages...

in USA our unions have been smashed down to 10%, and ironically the majority of those are government employees and police

in USA we have twenty states that still pay minimum wage (or less). They dodge minimum wage law multiple ways, all bullshit, all wage theft

Poland has better benefits for workers than USA. We have been surpassed by Eastern Europe, thanks labor party!*

*that's a joke, we have no labor party

That was the intent, says so in 1938 Labor Law (it was to rise, the minimum being enough to feed a family of four and keep them above the poverty line).

bOtH pArTiEs abandoned this long ago. But stock market is at 50K!!!#

Indeed but their philosophy is more inline with American economists James Galbrath's view that a functional "capitalist" society at least needs a triumvirate to work. That is, equal parts unions, business and government.

Many parts of the english speaking developed world don't have that and rely on a mostly two part system of government and business, with government ostensibly representing workers but alas government has been captured by business.

Partly, but there is more to collective bargaining than that.

a) Indexed inflation levels tend to be underreported (exactly due to things like this)

b) it does not allow for over-time adjustment of real wage levels. As productivity increases, the real wage usually goes up. During periods of economic crisis you often see the largest wage increases in absolute terms, but a decrease in the real wage due to inflation. These negotiations are the toughest.

The main problem I see with legislated minimum wages is that it becomes a legitimate target for employers in a "take it or leave it" fashion.

Not much that I know of aside from a bunch of extra bureaucracy. Unions already perform polls on wages amongst members, and that information is generally available to the union members. Furthermore, there's often even information available about wages within an employer organization if it is large.

ironically the majority of those are government employees and police

It's not ironic in the slightest. It's for government employees that the conflict of interest between what's best for the government (often low costs of labour) and employees (generous benefits and wages) becomes impossible to ignore.

Similar incentive structures do exist on a national economic level. For instance lower wages often provide a more competitive industrial basis internationally, even if that is not neccessarily beneficial for the individual employee.

Strictly speaking, gig workers aren't employed, but rather a contractor who is self-employed. This means that a lot of labour legislation doesn't really apply (which would include minimum wages).

It is in the pipeline of legislation however, and I know that some unions have started targeting gig employers with collective bargaining. Foodora for instance is covered by collective agreement since 2021.

Oh for sure, there are lots of companies pushing the gig-economy self employment model.

Within Swedish politics there is essentially complete agreement that the union model of labour negotiation should remain. Companies like Tesla are certainly an issue, but comparatively easier to deal with. The larger threat to the union model actually comes from undeclared labour which is a huge, systemic problem.

It ends up being significantly cheaper for the employer (no taxes, benefits, regulation) and can (in the short term) be beneficial for the employee (higher wage, still cashing in unemployment benefits etc.) even if it is disruptive for the collective long term.

In some businesses such as salons for hair dressers or mani-pedi, as many as 40% of labour is undeclared. Restaurants, construction and transportation are also high up.

Oh, nice!

Such directives often take the best existing market practices & codifie them.

It's definitely ironic.

A government that wrecks unions uses unions to pay itself.

You can't get more ironic

it's pretty much the least a company is allowed to pay for child labor

If profits aren't shared equally among employees, that's not abolition of the wage system

We actually VERY briefly had tripartism in the US, too. Unsurprisingly it was immediately attacked and dismantled.

Can be exhausting at times but it can fun too. The more enjoyable we make it to get things done together the easier and less exhausting it will be